Parashat Eikev (5760)

With God's help, on the eve of the holy Sabbath of Parashat Eikev, 5760

My power and the might of my hand have produced this prosperity for me (Deuteronomy 8:17)

In our parashah there appears a critique of the attitude expressed in the verse, 'My power and the might of my hand have produced this prosperity

for me' (Deuteronomy 8:17). A common interpretive approach to these verses understands that the belief that achievements are attained by

my own powers and not by God is mistaken. As appears in the following verse: 'And you shall remember

the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to prosper' (Deuteronomy 8:18). Those who adopt this approach tend to exult when

the weather forecaster gets the weather forecast wrong, or when some scientific-technological or

human system fails in its task. This is, supposedly, proof that the power of these things is not what brings them

success. On the other hand, this religious approach is criticized for leading to laxity and passivity,

and leaving everything in the hands of the Creator, and it seems that there is some truth to this.

I would like to argue here that such laxity stems from a 'naive' conception of the idea of trust in God.

This problem is connected to what is known in the religious context as the question of 'trust and effort.' The question is to

what extent we must exert ourselves to attain various things, and to what extent we should rely on God to care for us.

There are various approaches to this issue, and there are even those who claim that there is no dispute here; rather, each approach

is suited to people on a different spiritual level. It is also important to distinguish among different areas of discussion. No

one claims that a person ought not give charity, or observe the dietary laws, because God will do

whatever He wishes and the matter does not depend on 'our effort.' In the realm of the service of God one should not rely on

Providence to do the work for us. The dilemmas arise in contexts that concern matters

of this world, such as livelihood, health, and the like. With respect to the service of God, the Sages already said (see Rashi

on our parashah, 10:12): 'Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven.'

An important point of departure for the discussion is that the position of 'my power and the might of my hand' is supported by sound intuition.

When I drop a cup to the ground it will break. When I use appropriate weapons my chances of victory increase.

And when I go to a better doctor my chances of recovery are greater. This truth is embedded within us, and we act

in accordance with it, whether we admit it or not.

I have met people who explained to me that there is no need to serve in the army because God protects us, and maintaining an army

is an instance of 'my power and the might of my hand.' At the same time, some of them took pains to determine carefully who was the best

doctor to whom they should go in order to treat some illness. Those same people, in their private affairs,

do not always conduct themselves according to the fine theory of trust in God. Sometimes they act in improper

ways in order to obtain money, or use connections to secure an earlier appointment, and the like. In broad

public matters it is relatively easy to 'recite' such mantras, because there is someone else who will do the work, but

in the private sphere, where everything rests upon me, the ideology is expressed less. When such people

reflect on their behavior, they sometimes develop (at best) feelings of failure.

In their view, 'effort' apparently indicates a lack of 'trust' (or of faith).

To the best of my understanding, in these cases the ideology disappears because these people do not truly

believe in it. They too are aware of the sound intuition mentioned above, and act in accordance with it. More than that,

the notion that there is a contradiction here is itself mistaken. In my humble opinion, it is the army that wins a war,

and the side that prepares itself better will usually be the one that wins. It is the medicine itself that heals the sick person,

and the better doctor will indeed be more effective in curing the illness. The laws of nature were embedded in creation by

God, and they do indeed work, and work rather well.

One who thinks that believing in the laws of nature and acting in accordance with them amounts to an approach of 'my power and the might of my hand,'

in my humble opinion does not understand correctly. What the Torah demands is understanding and awareness that the One who operates

the laws of nature is God. The Torah demands of us that we understand that the laws of nature are not mechanisms

of 'blind fate,' but ways by which God governs His world (therefore, contrary

to what is commonly accepted, the laws of nature are a better proof of God's existence than a deviation from these

laws). God is 'the One who gives us the power to prosper.' We are the ones who achieve prosperity, by

using the laws of nature, and we do so with the power that God gives us.

When a person prays to God in order that He help him, this is not an activity alternative to the activity

of 'effort'; rather, it is an addition to it. Indeed, prayer also carries weight in solving problems, but this

is only in addition to ordinary effort. Jacob our forefather, in his encounter with Esau who came against him for war, prepared

himself with tribute, prayer, and war. Advocates of the 'naive' approach explain that prayer is

the main thing, and the rest (the tribute and the war) are only in the category of 'the commandment of effort.' God, as it were, commanded

us to exert ourselves through accepted human means, but it is 'clear' that the tribute and the war do not

take part in bringing about the desired result. In my humble opinion, gravity is what causes objects

to fall to the ground. The One who created and operates gravity is God. Therefore, one who wishes to shatter some

object is certainly best advised not to sing a peace song, but also not necessarily to whisper

a prayer. He should simply lift the object high enough and then release his grip. Tested

and proven!

For our purposes, effort is not merely a 'commandment' in the abstract; rather, it is a decisive part of the factors

that actually produce the result. There is no need, nor is it right, to abandon our sound intuitions.

In order to be a believer, there is no need to exult over scientific failure, nor to behave passively.

One may also go to a doctor, and even serve in the army!

Note: these points are apparently simple, yet it seems to me that the error regarding them is common, and therefore I found it

proper nevertheless to discuss them. Clearly there are positions in Jewish thought that are not like the one proposed

here, and therefore it is important to clarify that the term 'error' here refers more to the conception of these positions

as necessary and binding upon every believing Jew than to those positions themselves.

Have a peaceful Sabbath

This may be deposited for respectful disposal in any synagogue or yeshiva. Comments and responses will be gratefully received.

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